1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a weather information network, and, more particularly, to a method of and a system for providing graphical weather information to an aircraft.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, to acquire real-time graphical information about oncoming weather while en route, aircraft pilots had to rely upon onboard weather radar systems. The usefulness of such radar systems, however, is limited. Even the most advanced radar systems can only provide a glimpse of weather within a few hundred mile radius of the aircraft. In addition, heavy rain sometimes can overcome the aircraft's radar so that it is unable to penetrate clouds and detect weather conditions on the other side of the clouds. This phenomenon, known as precipitation attenuation, has been identified as a contributing factor in many weather-related accidents. Finally, pilots require a myriad of weather information that onboard weather radar systems do not provide. For this information, pilots must rely upon voice communications with ground personnel or textual communications through the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System, better known as ACARS. Both of these communication routes, however, rely upon a dispatcher on the ground to relay timely and accurate information to the aircraft. During peak times, there can be a substantial lag between the time a request for information is made and the time that information is sent to the aircraft. Additionally, information obtained in this manner is either oral or textual and, therefore, requires the pilot to visualize the location and scope of potential weather hazards. This can be a difficult and stressful task, especially when trying to navigate an aircraft in inclement weather.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,606 discloses a system for automatically transmitting weather information from a ground station to an aircraft via satellite broadcast. Once the weather information is received onboard the aircraft, it is processed and displayed to the pilot on a cockpit display screen. According to the '606 patent, the types of weather information that are broadcast to the aircraft can include radar mosaic images, lightning images, and surface observations for various airports including temperature, visibility, ceiling, precipitation, dew point, and the like.
One shortcoming of the system disclosed in the '606 patent is that it leaves pilots to surmise, based on information that is suggestive at best, as to the existence, location, and severity of some of the weather hazards with which they are most concerned, such as convection, turbulence, and icing. For example, even with the system disclosed in the '606 patent, a pilot would have to speculate as to the location and severity of convective activity based on textual reports, oral advisories, and images of radar and lightning. None of these types of information, however, provides a complete and accurate picture of the location and severity of convective activity. Instead, the pilot must assimilate all of this information and make a judgment call. This scenario is even more difficult for turbulence and icing hazards, as radar mosaics and lightning images do not provide any indication of these hazards. Further, what relevant information that is available requires the pilot to make a judgment based on oral and textual messages and other indirect indicators. This is a time consuming and mentally exhausting exercise that can distract the pilot from the task at hand—flying the aircraft. Moreover, errors in judgment can potentially endanger the passengers and crew, not to mention waste time and fuel spent back-tracking or on misguided detours.
Another significant drawback of the system described in the '606 patent is its failure to provide for two-way communication between the onboard user interface and the ground station. Broadcasts are inherently unreliable, so if only a portion of a broadcast is received, or perhaps none of it at all, the pilot is unable to request retransmission of the broadcast from the ground station. Instead, the pilot must wait for the next broadcast, which, depending on the proximity and severity of adverse weather ahead, could be too late. Additionally, the foregoing system does not permit pilots to request information that may not normally be broadcast in the region in which they are flying, nor does it allow pilots to limit what types of information are transmitted to the aircraft, or how frequently such information is updated, based on their individual preferences.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved weather information network that addresses the shortcomings of conventional systems and methods such as noted above.